Stewards' Corner, 10/2012

By Paul Pickett, Asst. Chief Steward

Oral Reprimands

One of the really tricky issues for stewards is understanding the gray line between “expectations” and “oral reprimands”. Sometimes employees are given verbal guidelines that feel like discipline. Sometime employees get an oral reprimand, but don’t know their rights. If you find yourself uncomfortable with what your supervisor is telling you, you should discuss it with a steward.
Some ideas to consider if you find yourself in this situation:

• Managers will often provide you with their expectations. This may well be “corrective”. You should take this as constructive if you can. Have a conversation around the manager’s expectations so you understand what she wants and she understands how you are going to try to meet them.

• If you are given expectations that you think may be unrealistic and you can’t resolve the disagreement through a conversation, try to document your concerns in writing (in an email). Talk to a steward so we can strategize and get the language of the email just right.

• If you are being called into a meeting where you believe some “corrective” actions will be discussed, you have a choice. You can go by yourself and find out what ‘s going on. Take really good written notes! Or tell your manager you want a steward to participate in the meeting, and find a steward who can help. A steward can be a witness, take better notes than you can (being on the hot seat) and then help you interpret what happened in the meeting. 

• Remember: it’s your legal right to have representation if you feel a meeting may lead to disciplinary action. This is called your Weingarten Rights, after a Supreme Court case. You can ask for representation at any time, including in the middle of a meeting. We’ve seen cases where in the middle of a meeting an employee asks to be represented, and the meeting is stopped right then and there and rescheduled to continue later with a steward present. Agency management and HR have been pretty good about allowing a steward in on a meeting even if it’s not exactly disciplinary.

• If you think you are getting an oral reprimand, they should tell you. If you aren’t sure, ask. If it’s an oral reprimand, you have the right to a grievance if you think it’s violating the contract. If it’s not, you may still need to have a plan to deal with the situation. So in either case, talk to a steward right away.

Evaluation Season is here!

It’s October, and once again you are facing your evaluation. Everyone has to be evaluated, but it’s probably the process most poorly understood. We are rerunning our tips from last year, as a reminder, refresher, or maybe an eye-opener.

Here are a few basic tips that should help:

1. Evaluations are just your supervisor’s opinion. They are supposed to be constructive, not disciplinary, and you don’t have to agree with what they say.
   
2. Review the evaluation and suggest edits. The best situation is where you can negotiate language that you can both live with. If something bugs you, try wording it differently.  And it’s ok to agree to work on areas of improvement.
   
3. If your supervisor won’t change language to something acceptable, write a rebuttal into Section 4. Feel free to add extra sheets. This is your chance to tell your side of the story. They have to include it whether they like it or not.
   
4. You have to sign the evaluation or face a charge of insubordination. You are just signing that you have read it, not that you agree. If you don’t like the evaluation, make a note above your signature that you have read the evaluation but disagree with the findings.